Rest

Nick Minerva • Feb 22, 2022

Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”


I love these verses. Chances are you do too. We put them on mugs, hang them in our homes, and use them as wallpaper on our phones. But, I’ve got to be honest. These verses aren’t something I have a lot of experience experiencing. Rest for my soul? What does that even mean? I mean, I’ve read some really good books about it. Great books. But one of the things I am learning about myself is that it’s very easy for me to settle for just head knowledge. (Which is important. Necessary even.) But I forget I am more than just a brain. After a while, my soul has a way of saying “Hey, I know you’ve got this information up there in the head, but we need it down here. You’re more than just a brain. Vulcans aren’t real. You’re not one. Also, you’re a nerd.”


The idea of “rest for my soul” is something that I have prayed a lot about in the last few years. Verses like Psalm 116:7 that say “Return to your rest, my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.” would bug me because I didn’t know what to return to. Then I began to realize I am bad at receiving love. Compliments, appreciation, affirmation, I keep it all at arm’s length. I don’t allow myself to receive verbal praise or affirmation of any kind. “I haven’t earned this. I don’t deserve it. I haven’t proven that this is true of me.” I understand in a theological sense that none of us deserve God’s goodness, that’s why it’s called goodness, not fair compensation. But something in me says I’ve got to earn it. I can’t emotionally receive his affirmation and love, even when it comes through something as simple as a compliment from a friend. 


Recently God has been showing me this through several different ways. A few weeks ago we went to some dear friend’s home to pick oranges and then juice said oranges. They have over 30 orange trees on their property which produce thousands of oranges. Every year they have a big party with friends and pick the oranges, juice them, and then feast on all kinds of good food. It’s hard to put into words how good for my soul that was. It’s soul-enriching to celebrate the goodness of God like that. It also helped me understand why there are so many feasts and celebrations in the Old Testament. Or why Jesus’s first official sign was at a wedding ceremony and his miracle basically kept the party going. Or why the early church created the liturgical calendar. The regular times of celebrating (and celebrating well) God’s goodness are enriching. We are so busy rushing from one task to the next. Intentionally celebrating is vital for the soul. I can remember the rest I experienced in my heart as we enjoyed God's bounty. 


The week after that was my birthday and my wife and kids celebrated me a ton. Several times I kept saying I didn’t deserve it and my wife finally said, “Stop talking about my husband that way.” (She’s great.) And so I just received the love they were showering on me and I remember thinking, “God really loves me.” And for one of the first times in my life, I felt it. I knew it. Not just on an academic level, but I was experiencing it in my heart. As we celebrated God's blessing and as I allowed my heart to receive God's love through my family and friends I was amazed at what my soul experienced. Rest. No earning. No striving. No, “I don’t deserve this, so I won’t receive it.” (What pride!) Just rest. What a gift. What peace. 


I still have a lot to learn about this. We are currently trying to incorporate an actual Sabbath. (Not just a day off to run errands, or veg out.) I’m just beginning to study the liturgical calendar so I can build into my life rhythms of fasting, remembering, and celebrating the goodness of God. I’m learning how connected spiritual and emotional health is. I’ve got a ways to go. But I think I’m finally understanding what Jesus was talking about. 

A Creed To Remind The Gathered Church Of Its New Life In Christ

By Nick Minerva • 14 Jul, 2023
When I was pastoring I wanted to read a blessing over the church that would remind all of us of our new life in Christ. So I wrote this new life creed and every week I would read it and remind us of what Christ had done for us. We gather together as believers professing our great need We acknowledge that we have fallen short We confess that we are rebels who have gone our own way Apart from Christ, we stand condemned, guilty, and unable to save ourselves But what we are incapable of doing, God did In his infinite love, God made a way of salvation for all who would believe Jesus willingly laid down his life and received the just punishment we deserve So that could walk in new life So yes, we confess our great need We humbly recognize that apart from Christ we are incapable of any good thing But we also proclaim that because of the finished work of the cross we will never be apart from Christ We are forever secure in the love of the Father We have been sealed by the Holy Spirit All because of the sacrifice of the Son, Jesus Christ. We are no longer in bondage to sin We are no longer facing righteous wrath We have been declared holy by our King And nothing on heaven or earth will change that reality This gathering is a testimony to our redeemed state We pursue holy living to be an authentic demonstration of the love we have for Christ We believe that we have been empowered by grace to meet our every need And we gladly anticipate the complete fulfillment of our adaption and the remaking of this world at the coming of our Lord To Christ be glory forever and ever Amen

A Praying Church: A Book Review

By Nick Minerva • 23 May, 2023
Prayer is one of those topics that always seems to convict me. I have never heard a sermon or read a book on prayer and not been challenged. Even as I am writing this review there is a bit of imposter syndrome because I know I should pray more. In A Praying Church , Paul Miller writes about how to become a people of hope in a discouraging world through prayer. And he does so in a way that was very authentic and accessible. While I was consistently challenged, I was also consistently encouraged. Throughout the book, he takes you on his journey of developing a personal prayer life plus countless stories of ministries that developed communal prayer as a vital component of their life together. One thing that struck home with me throughout these stories was the reality that prayer always grows out of desperation for God. There were several things that I found very helpful in this book. One of them was the connection between a life yielded to the Holy Spirit and a vibrant prayer life. The power to do anything of eternal importance comes from the Holy Spirit and the Spirit moves in response to prayer. Paul shows us a biblical pattern we see throughout the New Testament. Prayer-Spirit-Jesus-power. However, this is not a simple formula to get God to do what you want. Another thing I appreciated about this book is Paul tells us time and again that the Spirit often moves in ways we don’t expect and that almost always includes difficulties. The Spirit enables us to look more like Jesus and that means joining him in the fellowship of his suffering. So this is not a “how to turn God into your personal genie” scheme, like many books on prayer. God often answers in ways we don’t expect and in places we don’t anticipate. This book is also full of practical help. I’ve already mentioned the stories he tells, but Paul also offers several helpful charts, strategies, and ideas to help put into place what he writes about (and lives by.) At the end of each chapter, he has a section called “A Word To Pastors” with a few paragraphs of wisdom to help them become a person of prayer and then lead their congregation to become a church of prayer. This book also made me thankful that I am a part of a church that has sought to grow in corporate prayer over the last few years. This would be a great book for any ministry leader who is burdened with the prayer life of his or her church. But it’s also a great read for any believer seeking to develop their own prayer life. Crossway was kind to send me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. You can get a copy of it at the affiliate link below.

Non-Toxic Masculinity: A Book Review

By Nick Minerva • 28 Apr, 2023
Let me start this review by saying everyone should read this book. If you've grown up in Evangelicalism, you‘ve no doubt heard of purity culture. For the last several years we have seen the harm that has come as a result of this sub-group of Christianity. In Non-Toxic Masculinity, Zachary Wagner does an excellent job unpacking its teaching and the damage that has come as a result. He explains so well the angst I've been feeling with the movement and how often the Church falls short and winds up doing more damage. But unlike many critiques, this one also points a way forward. We know what toxic male sexuality looks like. We see it in the news and unfortunately, in the Church. But what does healthy male sexuality look like? What does it look like for me? What will it look like for my boys? In my heart, I know what I want it to look like, but so often I struggle to find the right words to express it. Non-Toxic Masculinity paints a healthy picture that is (re)humanizing and ultimately looks like Jesus, who, like all of us, had a sexual body. Zach is also very transparent in this book and God used his transparency to encourage, challenge, and convict me. As you read his story you will no doubt find yourself resonating with him on some level. Every man should read this book for themselves first and foremost. But if you have sons, nephews, grandsons, or young boys in your life, reading it is a must. Non-Toxic Masculinity is a breath of fresh air that will prove to be a tremendous resource for generations. Thank you Zach for writing it and sharing your story to serve us.
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